South Africa won a Women’s World Cup match for the first time with a stunning 3-2 victory over Italy to reach the last 16 in a thriller on Wednesday.
Captain Thembi Kgatlana scored the winner in the 92nd minute to make history for South Africa and set up a meeting with the Netherlands — sending Italy home.
Arianna Caruso scored twice for Italy and thought she had salvaged the draw they needed to go through with 16 minutes left, before Kgatlana’s stunning late intervention.
The Italians were in tears at the end as their opponents celebrated a famous win.
“Over the last two weeks, I’ve lost three family members. I could have gone home but I chose to stay with my girls,” said Kgatlana, who plays for Racing Louisville in the United States.
“Because that’s how much it means.”
Argentina were the other nation to be eliminated from the tournament after their 2-0 loss to Sweden.
South Africa will play the Netherlands in the round of 16 while Sweden will face the USA.
8:40PM: FRANCE HIT BACK HARD
The French have hit back after that early stumble, with two quick goals putting the powerhouse firmly back in the driver’s seat against Panama.
Goals from Deysiré Salazar and Kadidiatou Diani you could say have restored some balance to the scenes in Sydney.
A second from Diani gives France all the control in this matchup.
As it stands, France will top the group unless Jamaica or Brazil win outright in Melbourne.
8:15PM: GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT?
We may have just seen the goal of the World Cup, and one of the favourites are on the verge of an early exit.
Marta Cox has put Panama ahead very early on against France, thanks to an absolute bomb of a free-kick.
She’s kicked that from the Sydney Football Stadium all the way to the harbour.
As it now stands, Panama are taking France home with them, adding to the drama of an already epic Wednesday of football.
5:50PM GROUP G ON A KNIFE’S EDGE
A remarkable own goal has re-opened the door for Argentina and South Africa to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup.
All was going to plan for Italy as they held a 1-0 advantage over South Africa after an 11th-minute goal from the penalty spot.
But Benedetta Orsi’s back pass to her goalkeeper was misplaced and had too much power for Francesca Durante to stop, allowing the South Africans back into the game.
Argentina and Sweden currently stand at 0-0, but a win for the white and blue would send them through if the 1-1 scoreline in the other match stands.
South Africa can also qualify if they win and finish above or have a superior goal difference to Argentina, however if the goal difference is the same by the end of both matches then it gets complicated.
We’ll get to that if it happens!
Sweden are already safely through to the round of 16.
3:45PM ‘DISGUSTING’: 37 PLAYERS WIPED OUT OF WORLD CUP
England captain Leah Williamson has called for an urgent wakeup call in women’s football amid an epidemic that has wiped 37 players out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Williamson, who sustained her injury while playing for Arsenal in April this year, said the ongoing crisis of knee injuries in women’s sport was a “disgusting” issue which needs urgent attention.
The 26-year-old is one of three England stars – including Beth Mead and Keira Walsh – to have picked up serious knee injuries this year and while the latter was not a confirmed ACL her World Cup has still come to an end.
“If you ever needed a wake up call I’d say this year with the ACLs is it,” Williamson said in an interview on British radio. “If nobody wakes up now then we’ve got a bit of a problem.
“ACLs alone there’s 37 players missing from this World Cup which is disgusting.
“There’s so many things (different between men and women). Our hips are aligned slightly differently, hormones and stress all contribute.”
The Netherlands are without their all-time leading women’s goal scorer Vivianne Miedema while the Matildas are missing Chloe Logarzo.
Australian duo Ellie Carpenter and Kyah Simon have both recently recovered from ACL injuries with a question mark still hovering over Simon’s fitness.
With legacy and growth of women’s sport at the centre of this World Cup’s ambition, Williamson has used her voice to call for increased research into the issue which affects athletes from all sports not just football.
The little research there is suggests that female players are at least three times more likely to do an ACL than men.
Williamson wants to see an immediate improvement for how young female talent is prepared before professional to ensure their bodies are not shocked by dramatic changes in training regimens.
“The women’s game, my generation; one day we’re a kid playing football and the next we’re a professional,” she said.
“We got form training a few times a week to training every day, playing Champions League, World Cups, European Cups etc.
“Until it changes to be more like the boys where they’re literally bred for it from day one of being signed at six years old, this will happen more.
“We’re not ready for that. There’s so much now that we need to make more focused to women or this will happen over and over again. Our bodies are completely different, the studies around professional sports women are few and far between.”
2:45PM FIFA CANT CONTROL THIS
If there’s one thing you love to see at a World Cup, it’s teams manipulating the ridiculous rules put in place by FIFA.
The whole “no rainbow” statements rule by the global governing body is, in a word, ridiculous.
So Imagine my joy when this popped up on the Matildas Instagram feed.
Vision of superstar Mary Fowler warming up and prepping in front of an enormous gay pride flag for the world to see.
Enjoy that Mr Infantino.
1:32PM CHINA ARE NOT ROLE MODELS
Tearful Chinese star Wang Shuang said her team were “not particularly good role models” after they were dumped out of the Women’s World Cup with a 6-1 humiliation at the hands of England.
China were once a leading power in women’s football but their heyday, when they came fourth in 1995 and reached the final four years later, now looks a long time ago.
“We are not particularly good role models,” Wang, fighting back tears, told reporters in Adelaide after China’s World Cup came crashing down at the group stage for the first time.
The former Paris Saint-Germain player added: “We hope that Chinese children in the future can play football better.
“And we also hope that the domestic coaches can try to cultivate children who can play so that they will not be so embarrassed when they play for the national side in the future.” The Asian champions were edged 1-0 by Denmark in their opening game, conceding in the 89th minute, and then they survived for an hour with 10 players in a 1-0 win over Haiti thanks to a Wang penalty.
But any hope China had of reaching the knockout stages in Australia and New Zealand was ruthlessly wiped out by European champions England.
12PM ‘ARROGANT’ TEAM USA SLAMMED FOR WORLD CUP ACT
There’s a crisis at Team USA.
They came just 10cm from being knocked out of the World Cup and now they’re being slammed for arrogant acts after the final whistle in their 0-0 draw with Portugal.
Having averted disaster in Auckland, vision of the players celebrating and dancing was slammed by football legend Carli Lloyd.
The likes of Megan Rapinoe, Trinity Rodman and Kelley O’Hara were seen high-fiving and dancing around fans after what some might say was their worst ever performance in a group stage.
“I have never witnessed something like that. There’s a difference between being respectful of the fans and saying hello to your family,” Lloyd said on broadcast.
“But to be dancing, to be smiling. I mean, the player of the match was that post. You were lucky to not be going home right now.
“We saw before the game, the dancing. There’s a difference between confidence and arrogance, and I think that’s a fine line of where is the direction going with that,” she said.
“It’s OK to be confident, but you never want to cross that line of becoming arrogant and this is exactly what can come and bite you.”
Lloyd was aghast and said she saw nothing worth celebrating.
“It started to shift post-2020 and there are a lot of off-the-field things that are happening,” she said.
“You never want to take anything for granted. You put on that jersey and you want to give it everything you have for the people who came before you, the people who are going to come after you and I am just not seeing that passion.
“I am seeing a very lacklustre, uninspiring, taking it for granted. Winning and training and doing all that you can to be the best possible individual player is not happening.”
10:35AM US STAR SHUTS DOWN JOURNO IN AWKWARD EXCHANGE
Team USA scraped through to the knockout rounds of the World Cup by the skin of their teeth – and Megan Rapinoe was taking no prisoners in her post-match interviews.
The dramatic draw with Portugal ensured Team USA would finish second in Group E, with the Netherlands topping the group.
It is the first time the USA have failed to top their World Cup group since 2011, a point that was raised with Rapinoe during an awkward post-match exchange.
“You go through as second in the group and actually the last time it happened, and the only time, was in 2011 and you guys were still World Champions at the end,” the journalist asked Rapinoe.
A puzzled Rapinoe quickly, and awkwardly, corrected the inquisitive reporter: “Well, Japan won in 2011. We didn’t actually make it to the final. But if you want to get to the final you’ve got to make it through the group stage, I guess… (that’s a) line of logic.”
Undeterred, the journalist persevered, posing a question about the USA’s next matchup – which will be against the top-ranked team in Group G, which at the moment is likely going to be the powerful Sweden.
“Off to Melbourne, are you hoping for any kind of opponent there?” Rapinoe was asked.
“Just the next one. I don’t think we get a hand-pick of it at this point. We’ll check them out and prepare for the next game,” came the cold response.
It wasn’t the only frank exchange Rapinoe had in front of the TV cameras after the Portugal draw – which included a late chance for their opponents to snatch victory at the death, which would’ve consigned the defending champions to an early exit.
The retiring Rapinoe let slip with an f-bomb as she expressed how tense the finish had been.
“I was like, f**k. Right at the end, I mean, yeah, that’s stressful,” Rapinoe said.
“Because you’re out. If that goes in, you’re out. Your whole international career is over. It’s terrible.”
9:25AM ENGLAND DOMINATE BUT REFUSE TO SHAKE HANDS
England put six goals past China but Lucy Bronze was still filthy with the referees after her side confirmed their spot in the last 16 of the World Cup, refusing to shake hands after the whistle.
Lauren James scored twice and played a starring role as the European champions England swept past shell shocked China.
The result equalled England’s biggest-ever World Cup victory and booked them top spot in Group D, while consigning the Asian champions to their earliest-ever exit.
Along with Japan, England are the only team to win all three group games so far, reaffirming their status as among the favourites to win the World Cup.
Vision from after the whistle showed Bronze refusing to acknowledge the officials afterwards.
The Lionesses star was the victim of several controversial decision during the 6-1 thrashing on Tuesday.
Firstly, she was ruled as being offside in the build-up for a disallowed England goal shortly before half-time.
Lauren James thought she had put the Lionesses 4-0 up in first half stoppage time before a VAR review deemed Bronze offside.
After the interval, the Barcelona star was on the receiving end of a controversial decision again.
Bronze was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area and was booked for her infringement.
Replays from the VAR review showed she had tried to block the ball in front of goal before it struck her arm.
Wang Shuang stepped up to convert the resulting spot-kick and reduce the deficit.
Cameras picked up Bronze’s perplexed reaction to the decision before she later made her feeling’s known to the officials at full-time.
8:30AM: PRESSURE IS ON: DENMARK TURNS THE HEAT UP ON AUSSIES
Lars Sondergaard said the pressure is on co-hosts Australia in front of a packed house after his Denmark side reached the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
The Danes set up a date with Australia in the last 16 after a 2-0 win over debutants Haiti to take second place in Group D behind England.
They will face Australia in front of a partisan sellout crowd in Sydney on Monday, but Sondergaard said: “Anything can be decided in those kinds of Cup games, anything can happen.
“We have a pretty good defence, we have a player like Pernille (Harder) who can decide games.
“So we have a pretty good chance. We know it is going to be difficult but we are looking forward to the game. We are going to see it as a fantastic experience.”
The coach added: “The whole nation are standing behind them. That’s important for them, but it could also be pressure when the game goes into the second half and it’s still 0-0, and anything can happen.”
Australia’s skipper and talismanic striker Sam Kerr is expected to return from a calf injury to make her debut at this World Cup.
Harder knows Kerr well, having played with her at Chelsea before her recent move to Germany.
“I’m looking forward to seeing her, but not playing against her,” she said.
Originally published as FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 schedule, results: Italy sent packing by South Africa